Stuck in Last
by Buick Regal Racecar 56
Summary: We all know what happened to Lightning McQueen after the first movie, but what was going on with Chick?  Set during Cars 2, when Lightning becomes part of the World Grand Prix.  Includes one of my own characters.
1. Chapter 1

Stuck In Last

_Well, it's been awhile since I've actually been in the Cars fandom! Cars 2, I blame you. Anyways, due to the utter lack of Chick Hicks in the recent movie (if there was something after the credits with him, no one tell me, I left before the credits finished), I decided that I had to do a story of what happened to Chick during the events of Cars 2. In the end, it wrote itself. And it brought a familiar character back into play- Thunder Hicks, one of my most used characters back in my old Cars fiction writing days. Anyways, onto the story!_

_DISCLAIMER: Despite how much I wish I did, I do not own Cars. Or Cars 2. If I did, Chick Hicks would have at least been mentioned in the second movie._

The rain still fell, running in rivers through the drains along the streets of Santa Barbara. They were nearly empty, considering the darkness and the cold liquid dripping from the sky. Stores advertised merchandise based on the recent Piston Cup win of Lightning McQueen; it was no wonder his brother avoided town.

At first glance, any car that was out may have mistaken the familiar boxy shape to be the race car- however, a longer look would reveal that the 1980s Buick Regal race car wasn't the familiar green color with the drastically reduced number of sponsor stickers along the sides. After the Piston Cup tie-breaker race, many sponsors had dropped him, including the notoriously shady Hostile Takeover Bank. It was irony that even one of the most hated banks would drop sponsorship for one of the most hated racers. The older race car was now sponsored by Blockbuster videos, which was steadily declining as well- the only reason the racer had gained the sponsorship from them was because of a friend at the company. It was rumored however, that due to the bankruptcy on the horizon for them, the company might have to drop sponsoring Chick Hicks. His reputation only seemed to add weight to the already heavy burden of their failing.

At second glance, it was easy to tell that the car was definitely not the well known racer. Replacing the green color was a deep and vibrant crimson red, broken only by the equally vibrant royal blue racing stripe directly down his center, from his front bumper to his back. Although he hardly considered himself a racer, in silver upon both his sides was the number 56- it was no secret that their family contained a long history of racing. However, this car was more content to live a life of somewhat obscurity. Adding the final difference, where light brown eyes were on the racer, this car had brilliantly emerald green ones, a color that seemed unnaturally vibrant, but fit with his bright colors and his easy to get along with personality.

The younger Buick was more well known for his marriage to the well known actress, Storm Hicks. It was no rumor that the two had been together since their high school days- it was a fact neither denied. The fact of this was cemented by the presence of their fifteen year old daughter, Rain. Whereas both the actress and the younger brother of the racer were known by nicknames rather than their real names, their daughter's birth certificate stated that Rain was the teenager's real name. Despite the somewhat odd name, the girl didn't care.

The family had never suffered any strikes to their reputation after Storm became an actress and her past became the world's news. The Hicks family had enough bad reputation as it was- what with the wreck of the Hudson Hornet, caused by Rick Hicks back in '54, and other incidents involving their family. For awhile, the Hicks family had avoided any damaging blows to its reputation with the introduction of Mick Hicks, Chick's father, and a much more respectable character when it came to racing. However, Chick had rarely gone to his dad when asking for racing tips, which was probably why Chick's racing style more easily resembled his grandfather's than anyone else's. Which was why, after the Piston Cup tie-breaker race, things had become chaotic for the Hicks family again, as Chick easily went under fire for the selfish act of wrecking The King just to get a Piston Cup. For awhile, reporters had been plaguing not just the already famous Storm, but Thunder as well, seeing as he was the racer's younger brother, and the two were reported to have been quite close.

Eventually, everything had faded. The reporters stopped trying to learn how the events of the Piston Cup tie-breaker affected each Hicks family member, sponsors dropped Chick as if it were nothing, and slowly Chick started getting worse and worse at racing. Soon, he seemed to be coming in last at every race. For awhile, there was controversy over whether he'd have to return his so-called falsely won Piston Cup, but even that had faded after awhile. Now, with Lightning McQueen still easily acing the racing circuits, and hints that Blockbuster would be going completely out of business, it was no wonder there were rumors that Chick Hicks would be retiring soon.

"In other news, it's now official- Lightning McQueen has agreed to take the last available spot in the Allinol sponsored World Grand Prix..."

There was a small screech of brakes as Thunder stopped in front of the electronics store, where all the televisions were tuned to the newscast. He'd heard in passing of this World Grand Prix event, but not much. He'd never been much into racing. However, the name Lightning McQueen was what caught his attention. The rain no longer seemed so much of an inconvenience as he waited to see what else would be said.

"The World Grand Prix, held for the world's fastest racers, will prove that Allinol is not a threat to use and is actually a safe alternative fuel..." The sound of the televisions faded away. The fastest in the world. And Chick didn't get an invite. Of course not. After all, Lightning McQueen now had four Piston Cups, and most of the world didn't even consider the one Chick did have to be rightfully earned.

Which brought him to another thing- Chick would know this by now. Chick followed most everything about racing, considering he was involved in it. Everyone knew he was old news- once he was finally dropped by Blockbuster, he'd most likely not get another sponsor offer, and the most he'd be remembered by was the thing he hated the most. Where once he'd been defensive that he hadn't been cheating, he'd given up trying to justify that his jealousy to finally beat The King had won out and he'd purposely wrecked the Plymouth. Chick would see this news and know- he'd know that it meant there really was no room for him anymore.

Thunder sighed- maybe it was time to go check on his brother again. Even if it was just to check if his older brother had seen the news.

SIL

"Well, screw you too." The phone was already back on the cradle, leaving the empty house to listen to the muttered words. Inside the dull darkness, a dark gleam of gold came from one corner, where under years of dust, the Piston Cup still shone brightly.

It had been there since that day. He'd gladly give it up now, if it meant saving what little was left of his career. Hell, he'd give it up if it meant admitting he was wrong, even if it meant admitting to the world that he'd wrecked The King out of his own selfish need to win. He'd give anything to be second best again instead of so far in last place that even the last row in the racing stadiums were too close to the track. He was always losing- losing races, losing sponsors- like once again being stuck without a major sponsor.

We're sorry Chick, but we just can't keep risking having you sponsor us. The company's going under, and we have to do anything we can to just try and save it now. You know how it is.

Of course he did. The sponsors were nearly as competitive as the racers themselves, and they wanted the newer racers, the racers who didn't come with a history like his.

Right then, the doorbell rang, and Chick muttered something under his breath, figuring it to be the media before going to answer the door.

"Get the hell off my property before I call the cops!"

"Oh, so now it's custom to call the cops on your brother?" Great. Sometimes he thought Thunder could be worse than the media.

"What do you want?"

"Can you at least let me in? It's pouring out here." Chick rolled his eyes, muttering to himself again, although he opened the door. The younger race car quickly drove in, bringing in a ton of water. As usual, his immature brother bringing some sort of mess into his house, probably for no reason at all.

"Now. What do you want?" Thunder rolled his eyes this time.

"God, such a wonderful greeting, as always."

"Shut up."

"I wanted to check in on you." Thunder wasn't fooling him. Chick knew his brother too well, well enough that he knew Thunder would never just stop by, especially in the rain, which he hated, to just 'check in' on him.

"You want to see if I've seen the news about the World Grand Prix, haven't you?" His younger brother's expression said it all. Of course that's what this visit would be about.

"I was kind've hoping-"

"You were hoping what? That I hadn't seen it? It's all over the goddamned news. How couldn't I have seen it?"

"I just thought there was a chance you'd missed it."

"So, you could tell me anyways, right? If it wasn't you, it'd be dad, with some comment about how that could've been me if maybe I hadn't screwed things up. You and him are just alike, always willing to blurt out the first damn thing on your minds, since neither of you have the tact of a brain dead pigeon."

"Don't take this out on me and dad, Chick. Besides, your Piston Cup win was no thanks to anyone but yourself. You think you're the only one who's made a mistake in your life? I've got a daughter who the whole world knows has been around since I was sixteen, but you know what? Storm and I were able to move past it. You put mistakes behind you, you don't spend every waking moment sulking until everyone believes you've given up. You screwed up the entire family with that move, and you know it." Chick really couldn't remember ever hearing his brother sound so bitter, but he knew Thunder hated being insulted.

"What'd you come here to do, insult me? Because you've reached your goal if you have."

"I came here to make sure you hadn't done anything stupid because of this World Grand Prix thing."

"I think I've already achieved at least one badge for stupidity, don't you?" He gestured at the dusty Piston Cup, but Thunder didn't look. He didn't have to.

"You had the chance to give it back."

"That wouldn't have solved anything."

"It might've helped!"

"Like my life would've been any different, Thunder."

"It might have." Chick opened his mouth to say something, but the comeback he'd had ready didn't come out. Thunder was right- despite knowing how stubborn both of them were, Thunder was right. But Chick had kept the trophy. Because he'd wanted the proof that for once, even if it wasn't rightfully his, he hadn't been second best.

"It's not like I have another chance to try for it."

"You've had plenty of chances. You keep doing worse and worse." Chick sighed again.

"Thunder, Blockbuster dropped me. They're going bankrupt, and sponsoring someone like me is just sinking them faster."

"So? You can always get another sponsor." As always, his brother's stubborn optimism wasn't making him feel better. Chick just chuckled bitterly.

"You think anyone else is going to want to sponsor me? With my reputation and this losing streak I've got? I doubt a homeless guy with five bucks would even give me a passing glance for sponsorship if he was crazy enough. Face it Thunder, the racing game is over for me."

"You can't quit."

"You said it yourself, kid. I've brought enough embarrassment to this family. I'm retiring before next season. No one cares about Chick Hicks anymore." Thunder hesitated before sighing.

"If that's what you think, go ahead. Maybe if you stopped sulking and actually tried, you could get back in the game." Before Chick could even reply, Thunder was gone. Chick cast a sad glance at the Piston Cup in the corner.

"What's the point of trying? With McQueen around and all the things I've done, I'll always be stuck in last."

_So, there it is, my first Cars fanfiction since... well, I can't even remember exactly when. If anyone would like to see this continued, I'd be happy to continue it, mainly due to the fact I'm still a Chick Hicks fan. This was interesting to write, since I added Thunder into it without him ruining it. If you don't know who Thunder is, you obviously weren't around here for the first Cars movie XD Just go look at my other stories, you'll find out who he is :) Glad to be back here though!_

_Buick Regal Racecar 56_


	2. Chapter 2

_Due to popular request (over a year ago when I wrote the first part of this XD) I've made a part 2! I've put more at the bottom as to why you had to wait a year, but this is set up much in the same style as the first one, but it officially ends this. And I didn't realize it had gotten longer than the first part, oops XD Anyways, on with the story!_

"Official news today from the racing circuit- racer Chick Hicks will not be returning to the tracks next season, his manager stating trouble finding a sponsor as the issue. Critics are already debating whether or not this is a delayed result of his 2006 Piston Cup win, where it's still argued that he cheated in his wrecking of Strip 'The King' Weathers..." Rain just stared at the TV, rolling her violet eyes. Her dad was mirroring her while parked beside her, both of them knowing that this was just another excuse for the vultures of the media to bring up something that happened five years ago. The fifteen year old had heard enough about that win to last her several lifetimes, and since she'd been present at the race herself (she'd been ten, and seeing her uncle out there racing was the next best thing to getting to be on set during the filming of one of her mom's movies) she knew the events pretty well. However, unlike the rest of her family, she seemed to be the only one who could look past those events.

"They just love beating a dead horse, don't they?" Rain giggled a little, getting a grin out of her dad. She was nearly a perfect blend between her parents, her father's boxy frame and her mom's sleek curvy one somehow mixing into her being a sporty 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse, and her paint job nearly matched her father's, red with a blue racing stripe, although instead of the numbers on his sides, a silver stripe decorated either side of the blue stripe. She also inherited her mother's violet eyes, and her dad's childish attitude that she showed no sign of growing out of.

"As long as they can continue turning people against him, they won't stop."

"Wonder why they never tried that with your 15 and pregnant mother once they figured that out. Although, I guess they really couldn't do anything after your granddad cussed out the media guy for trying to interview you about how it had been growing up in a house with teenage parents." Rain laughed; she barely remembered that event, due to the fact that she had been five, but what was most vivid was her ex-racer grandfather pulling out every cussword in the dictionary on the reporter who'd tried to confuse her and make it seem as if her parents were the worst in history. After that, any other attempts had been few and far between, the media having too hard of a time finding some sort of dirt on the family that they later had to admit was an adorable one. Her parents went together perfectly, and the media had given up trying to find flaws; her mom was a famous actress, her dad stayed at home to take care of her, and she lived a normal teenage life. Well, as normal as she could when other teens would occasionally start insulting her uncle.

"Grandpa's a little protective of me. Guess it might be that I'm his only grandchild."

"That and the fact that I think he was sorely disappointed that I was a boy. I'm sure he was convinced I was going to be a guy, then dammit, he gets a second boy."

"No wonder he spoils me rotten." They both laughed at this one; Mick did seem to spoil the girl. And it wasn't just Mick; her other grandparents spoiled her quite often as well. She was just a sweet, easy to love girl, and it was hard not to love her.

"Well, at least we've got one less thing to distract you from school this year."

"... That's a nice way of putting it, dad." Thunder rolled his eyes- him being serious all of a sudden wasn't something Rain was used to, but she had to admit the media had a way of making everyone's life hell. There'd been many theories as to why her uncle had done what he did to win his only Piston Cup; theories that ranged from he'd been told to by his father to the even more bizarre one that her own father had pushed him to do it. Rain had never understood that until she'd seen what her great-grandfather had looked like; if you switched Thunder's main color to blue and his racing stripe to red, the younger Hicks kid would look just like her great-grandfather. And only then could she see any reason for the media to connect her father to that win.

"Seriously Raindrop. I'm pretty sure that's why your grades got so low last year, especially near the end of the racing season."

"Daddy, someone has to support him."

"Had. Past tense, sweetie."

"... I think I'm going to miss seeing him racing."

"You ought to tell him that. Probably make his day."

"Are you encouraging your fifteen year old daughter to go all the way over to his house by herself just to cheer him up?" Thunder just grinned.

"Rain darling, you've gone over there by yourself plenty of times without permission. Just watch out for the media, they're probably skulking around there."

"I will. And I'll try to be home before mom gets back; she tends to get a little cranky if she knows I've been around the media without you." Thunder grimaced momentarily, getting a small giggle out of his daughter.

"Yeah. I noticed. Have fun, okay?"

"I will daddy."

SIL

He was not going to get used to this new paint job, not easily. He looked a bit uneasily at himself in the mirror, all the stickers completely gone now, replaced by all green with a simple black racing stripe outlined in gold down his center; the 86s remained, same style as always. Despite it being what he'd grown up looking like, he hadn't looked like this for years, and it looked a bit... odd. Right as the thoughts started turning to the fact that he was starting to look old (which, hell, he was 35, he guess he couldn't help looking a bit old) when the doorbell rang. He groaned; it seemed like everytime lately the media even so much as hinted at his name, his dad or brother showed up, to check if he was okay. Dammit, did they think he was four years old or something? Muttering to himself, he made his way to the front door, a fleeting thought of it being one of the parasitic media brushed aside. None of the media people would be so bold as to come straight up to his door. Ready to curse out his dad/brother, he opened the door- and immediately stopped. Well. This he hadn't expected. His niece was outside, flashing him a very Thunder-like grin.

"Hey Uncle Chick!" He back up from the door, letting her inside before closing it again.

"You come over here all by yourself?"

"Well, yeah. I'm fifteen, I can handle myself."

"... Your mom's not home today, is she." The '95 Eclipse wasn't fooling him. She never would have been over here by herself if Storm was there.

"... You're too good, you know?" Chick just smirked at the girl, before he realized she was looking quizzically at the new paint job.

"You look... different?"

"You don't think I look old, d'ya? Goddammit, I'll wreck that guy if he made me look old or something." Rain giggled; she was the only one who would actually take comments about wrecking someone lightly these days. It was one of the few reasons he actually enjoyed talking to her. She seemed a lot smarter and older than she was, probably the result of having absolutely terrific parents and grandparents; her life lacked the negative influence his granddad had had on him, and he thought she was lucky that she'd never had to meet Rick Hicks.

"Nah- it's just, I've never actually seen you like this in real life. Only in pictures from when you and dad were kids, back when you didn't have the mustache either."

"Yeah, well, I don't need sponsors if I'm retired." For a moment it got silent; and not the comfortable silence he was used to either.

"Something wrong, kid?"

"Not really... just, I'm really going to miss getting to see you racing. It was always fun, even when everyone else said I was insane for still cheering for you."

"You're probably better off finding someone else to be a fan of. Hell, be a fan of Lightning McQueen or something. Anything's better than me. Even Dinoco's new sponsor, Tambourine Pizza or something..." This got a real laugh out of Rain.

"Uncle Chick, it's Tamburo Piacenza. It's Italian. But I think I like your name for him better." He grinned.

"Then maybe me and you can head out to one of the races one day and see how many bizarre looks we get when we start cheering for tambourines and pizzas." She laughed again; he couldn't help but to chuckle a little himself.

"You're being silly."

"Your dad's always silly. Figured you ought to be used to being around silly people."

"No- it's a good thing. You used to be like this." She stopped, but he knew what she would've said next; her eyes were looking over at the dusty Piston Cup in the corner. He'd been like this- before he got so desperate to win that he decided that the life of one car was nothing and had nearly killed him to get a shiny, golden trophy. She hadn't wanted to say it, or bring it up, but he knew what she meant by that pause. He sighed.

"C'mon kid, I get that old thing mentioned enough by dad and Thunder. Try not to bring it up."

"I'm sorry. It's just... I worry about you." This surprised him; she must have realized that, because she smiled a little.

"Why worry about me?"

"Because, you're my uncle for one. And, no matter what you've done on the track, off the track you've always been nice enough. A little sarcastic, and mom complains about you cussing too much, but you've always been a good guy somehow. You and dad used to always joke around with each other so much, and I always thought it was hilarious. Then, the Piston Cup thing happened, and you changed. You weren't as funny anymore, and even when you'd be nice, you still would get snappy easily. And I've always known it was connected to that trophy, and so I'd always try extra hard to cheer you up because you seemed to need it. And then you retire, and the media immediately brings that stupid old piece of metal up, and I guess I realized that whenever your name gets mentioned, everyone will always think of that. Because they don't know you like I do, or like dad does, or like any of our family does." He was speechless for a moment; it was the most he'd ever heard the fifteen year old talk, and she sounded almost like her mother during her monologue, because Storm had said some similar things to him at Christmas a few years back. But it wasn't only that, it was the adult way she perceived what had happened and how he'd handled it.

"I guess I can see why you'd be worried. But it ain't like we can change the past."

"No. But you know what? We can get rid of the evidence."

"Okay, just hold on. I might not have gotten the damned thing completely honestly, but you expect me to get rid of it? They don't give out silver trophies, kid. I ain't got any other evidence that I've ever been good at racing."

"But you send yourself on a guilt trip every time you look at it. And for anyone who visits, it's just a reminder of who you are to everyone else. So. I think we need to get rid of it." Chick started to protest that, but then glanced over at the dusty trophy again. And, he could see her point. It wasn't doing him any good to keep that old thing around, because every time he looked at it... he didn't feel like a winner. He felt horrible. He'd cheated to get it, and he knew it, and the media knew it, and his family knew it... he sighed.

"Alright, I get your point. But what do you want to do, just throw it in the trash?"

"No, I think I've got a better idea."

SIL

The doorbell rang, and Strip Weathers immediately drove to get it. His wife, Christy, didn't even glance up from what she was reading. He answered the door, and was puzzled for a moment to see no one there. Then he noticed the package in front of the door. Looking around, he saw no one; he shrugged, then pulled the package inside with him. He was looking it over for a name or anything when Christy drove in.

"What've you got there, honey?"

"Dunno. There wasn't anyone out there, an'..." He trailed off momentarily, finally finding a small note attached.

_Courtesy of Chick and Rain Hicks. Seriously. Don't spazz out, it's not a bomb._

"Well, it's not a bomb, that's for sure." He passed the note to his wife; she chuckled slightly, even after seeing the name of Chick Hicks. She still didn't exactly care for the guy; but both of them had met the now former racer's niece enough to know if she was involved, it wasn't going to be anything bad. He unwrapped the packaging, and then froze. Christy did too when she glanced up, a glint of light hitting off the object for a moment.

"Is that what I think it is...?" Strip nodded. He had several other trophies like this- in fact, it would be familiar to any racer or racing fan as a Piston Cup. But on the plaque part, it said his name, followed by the year, which clearly read 2006.

"Ya didn' even win that year..." He heard what Christy said, but was too busy observing the cup to reply- turning it a bit, he noticed the plaque seemed to be placed over another; and that's when another note fell out of the cup, this time clearly written in Chick's tire writing. Which, considering the racer had horrible writing, it took Strip a moment to decipher. But when he finally did, he chuckled a little, then passed the note to Christy, who by now looked confused.

"Looks like someone thinks I did." Christy, after reading it over it once, was stunned; just stunned enough that she had to read it out, just to see if she were really reading it right.

"Strip- I ought've given you this years ago. Guess being stubborn runs in the family. You deserve this for 2006, not me. Hell, even that kid McQueen deserves it more than me. Congratulations for always coming in first- you at least raced honestly. I'm sorry for screwing up your final race. -Sincerely, Chick Hicks."

SIL

The crowd around the racetrack buzzed with excitement; cars were packed in as tight as possible during the Cartona 500, the biggest race of the season, the opener in Cartona, Florida. Most excited was a fifteen year old girl near the fence seperating the track from the crowd; she was so excited that the older Buick Regal racecar next to her chuckled.

"Calm down kid, don't need you overheating from excitement before the damn thing even begins. Your mother would kill me; she already called me insane for bringing you down here when you've got school tomorrow." The fifteen year old Mitsubishi giggled.

"Mom calls everyone insane. But, ever since you pronounced the guy's name wrong, I've been seriously wanting to do this."

"And I can't believe you dragged me into this." The bright red Buick Regal on her other side grumbled it, getting a scowl from his daughter.

"Chrysler daddy, cheer up a little. It'll be fun- this is just your kind of thing, making fun of the guy's name."

"Unless this Pizza guy finds out Thunder's real name is Cer-"

"Dammit, Chick, that's not f-" "Ladies and gentlecars, start your engines!" "-ing funny!" Rain laughed, and Chick just snickered as Thunder glared at them.

"Daddy, you know we love you."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

"C'mon Thunder. Cheer up."

"Yeah. Ain't like you're the one getting made fun of. Besides, it's real fun getting to be out here with ya'll." Mick Hicks just nudged Thunder, trying to get the red car to cheer up. Thunder just rolled his eyes; he'd never really liked coming to races in the first place. Mick, on the other hand, loved it, mainly because he'd grown up seeing his dad race, been there himself, then had spent years watching Chick race. Some of the crowd around them had already realized that the legendary Mick Hicks was among them; he had a pretty good racing record, and yet with his down to earth demeanor, he was hardly recognizable. It was either that or the fact that his inconspicuous paint job, a simple green color a bit darker than Chick's shade, a silver racing stripe, and the number 36 on either side in black wasn't as recognizable as his more known racing colors.

"I'll try to think it's fun. Okay?"

"That's better daddy. Now hurry with the cheering up, the race is about to start!" Both Chick and Mick chuckled at the girl's enthusiasm. Any replies that Thunder could've made were drowned out by the next announcement to let the race begin. The track filled with the roar of engines as the racers started off; the roar of the crowd almost rivaled it.

"Alright, on the count of three, as loud as you can, cheer for the new Dinoco guy!" Rain had to yell pretty loud to be heard by all three of her family members. They each nodded.

"1, 2, 3, now!"

"YOU CAN DO IT, TAMBOURINE PIZZA!" The crowd around them looked at them like they were crazy- four cars all yelling the same thing at the same time actually did really well to be heard, even as the blur of racers passed by. But the group of four didn't care- they were too busy laughing as the looks around them were noticed. And Chick couldn't help but think that maybe, it wouldn't be so bad watching everyone else racing without him down there; Rain had been right, that old trophy had been slowly guilt tripping him until he wasn't his old self. And he'd gone with her idea, and it had made him feel a lot better. Besides, the Piston Cup was just a gold trophy; empty, cold, and just a placeholder saying he'd done something important. A family like the one he had, that was worth keeping. And for the first time since he'd first brought that gold trophy home five years ago, he felt truly happy. Finally, he could put the past behind him. Finally, he could live without having to worry about the guilt that just seeing a glint of gold could give him.

_I didn't expect this to end up so long! Oops! But four out of five reviewers asked this to be continued, and originally I had a whole plan that involved Rain, Chick, and Thunder following around the Grand Prix, but that never got anywhere. Then, after seeing The Lorax, I thought about how I the Once-ler was redeemed at the end, even though he'd been selfish, and I decided to finally put a finishing touch on this. I always made Chick redeem himself in my old Cars stories, but I never put a real good reason. I think I had him give the Piston Cup off to Strip or Lightning in one of my older stories as well. But Tamburo Piacenza is a callback to my story trilogy, The Life Is A Highway Trilogy, because he was Dinoco's sponsor in that XD Anyways, I had to add Mick in here for a bit, and I really have always thought of Rain as a niece who cares for her uncle no matter what he's done. So, that's how this story was born. Hope you all enjoyed it! Now, don't expect much more on the Cars front- although, if anyone wants to see anything more with any of the characters, I'll gladly do something with them XD_

_Buick Regal Racecar 56_


End file.
